Alpha Draconis Warning

“Do aliens exist? Are our governments working with or defending against them? The truth is out there, I’m sure?”

I wrote this story in answer to the following prompts:
Pensitivity’s three things challenge – Miracle – Deep – Full
FOWC with Fandango — Space
Your Daily Word — Genial
Ragtag Daily Word — Behemoth
Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie – Tale Weaver — Bookworm

Alpha Draconis Warning

Lyle was a bookworm. There was no other word to describe him. Even in the modern digital age, he spent more time in the library and anywhere else. To him, if something wasn’t verifiably written within the pages of the book it didn’t exist.

Today he was taking a deep, hard look at the possibilities of space travel and living on Mars. A programme on television last night had sparked his interest. Having selected a pile of books on the subjects it was time for research. Forced to look around his three-foot-tall pile, he made his way out of the shelves to a quiet area.

“Hey, Lyle.”

Lyle flinched and staggered under the weight of his books. He hadn’t expected anybody to be this deep within the library. His stack was unsavable. Lunging for a table, he cringed as books hit the floor and scattered across the top. Adjusting his glasses, he gave the owner of the voice an embarrassed smile. The pigtailed blonde was Molly, a university student. “Hi, Molly. I’m a little busy today.”

“So, I see. Looks like some full-on research too.” Molly picked up a book entitled ‘Life on Mars.’ Something glassy fell out and bounced across the floor. “You know, it’d be a miracle to find you somewhere other than this library.”

Lyle shrugged, “What’s life if you don’t fill it with —”

“Research!” Molly finished with a genial smile. “You say that every time.”

“Sorry, I …” Lyle saw a green glow coming from between the nearest bookcases. He walked past Molly and knelt to retrieve the object. At his touch, it phased from green to violet.

“What, is it? I think it came from this book.” Molly said.

The object was emitting so much light it turned Lyle’s face purple. “I believe this is a piezoelectric crystal plate. Also known as a die in the semiconductor industry. This one seems to have unusual properties too,” Lyle’s eyebrows furrowed, full of confusion, as he stared into the violet light, trying to figure out what he’d found.

“Why would it be in a book? What you suppose it’s for?” Molly came close, running her fingers along his forearm as she peered intently strange object.

“Ordinarily, such crystals are tiny. They regulate the ticking of a watch through vibration. They can also record and produce sounds in the music industry. This one is far too big.” Lyle turned the octagonal slice. The edge was no more than a couple of millimetres thick.

“It looks like, the light moves around lines etched in the surfaces,” Molly said. She placed her finger on the surface shrieked.

The vivid violet light pulsed blood red. Lyle and Molly became glued to the crystal as a ball of energy erupted from it. Slamming into the bookshelves, it caused them to collapse like dominoes. A tube of rainbow light emerged from the floor and shot into the air. A circular hole appeared in the ceiling as the beam continued into space.

“Lyle! What the hell’s going on!”

Molly’s voice shook him from a stupor. Lyle tried to let go of the object he Molly were still stuck to it. Gazing up, his mouth fell open. “Wormhole! I don’t think humans fabricated this thing!”    

“What!” Molly gaped, “Then w—”

Lyle watched her float into the air as he too became airborne. The sensation was like being filled with helium. A golden aura surrounded the two of them. Then with unnatural acceleration, they were racing towards the sky. “I think we’re about to find out!” he yelled as they passed through the clouds.

Soon they were able to see the curvature of Earth. Then, the bright blue aura surrounding the globe as they left the planet.  

“Lyle, do something! We’re going into space; we can’t survive up here!” Molly shrieked.

He knew she was right. In the vacuum of space, there were extreme gamma rays. Worse the lack of oxygen would kill them in seconds. “Try to relax. At this altitude, we should already be dead. The golden aura is keeping us alive.” Lyle marvelled at the starscape stretching all around him. He could see the moon, grey and desolate, spinning slowly in its orbit. The Sun, brighter than he thought possible with no atmosphere dulling it. The wormhole wasn’t going to either of them. It was heading for the growing red dot.

“Okay — okay. Where are we going?”

“Mars apparently.” Lyle knew he should be terrified yet his bookworm level intrigue and the desire to know overrode that fear. “Looks like we’re about to beat NASA to the red planet without spending a penny.”

“Why are you so pleased about that? We probably gonna die!” Molly’s face was ghost-white with moribund panic.

“Well, I hope not. This is gonna be one hell of a story to tell when we get home.”

“If, we get home!”  

Soon the two raced through the atmosphere of the red planet. Lyle caught sight of the Perseverance Mars Rover trundling over the red rock as it searched for proof of life. He’d been glued to his TV as it made its historic landing in early 2021. The golden aura carried him down into the crater. Passing through the rock substrate, they entered into a metallic room. It was there the energy died and the pair slammed into the floor.

“Welcome Homo-sapiens. Don’t you read books anymore?” said an emotionless voice.

Lyle levered himself from the aluminium-like floor. Readjusting his glasses, he found himself looking at a behemoth of a being. Easily nine-feet-tall and with muscles to rival Arnold Schwarzenegger it peered down upon him. “I read all the time, most people are glued to their screens these days.”

“Pity, Homo-sapiens still have much to learn from the tomes we left you. I’ve waited fifty years for one of you to find that crystal.”

Molly had backed herself into a corner. Rolling her eyes, she said, “Lyle’s been telling everybody this for years.”

“That will be why the crystal chose him.” The being stretched his thick arm and rubbed his snake-featured face.

“Why did you choose me? Who are you and what’s this all about?” Lyle asked.

I am Gaius of the Alpha Draconis. I brought you here to make you an envoy. You must warn the humans not to travel to Mars. They will start an intergalactic war they can never win if they come here.”

“Why not tell them yourself? I mean you are in contact with the American Government, right?”

 “The Arcturian’s are. They crashed their saucer at Roswell many years ago leaving me no choice but to communicate with humans. They have been sharing technologies but hiding secrets. They want the intergalactic war to happen. They will be the sole beneficiaries when Earth is destroyed.”

“I think maybe you ought to beam yourself back to earth and speak to the governments. They won’t —”

“Stop talking Homo-sapien. You’re giving me a headache!” the being grumbled as he produced a pyramid that appeared to be made of gold. “Take this and I’ll send you home. The government will be in the remains of your library. Have them take this to your Prime Minister. It will recognise him and transmit my warning.”

“Okay.” Lyle accepted the pyramid.

The being looked at Molly. “She is a pretty one. She will stay with me.”

“Then I won’t go.” Lyle put the pyramid down and hugged Molly protectively. “She’s my friend. I’ll never leave her.”

“Pity, I could do with a new companion.” Gaius looked miserable. “Very well, be gone. Both of you.”

“Thank you, sir,” Molly said.

“Yes, thank you,” Lyle echoed.

Gaius nodded as he levitated the pyramid back to Lyle’s hands.

Lyle held the device in one hand and held Molly close with the other. Around them the wormhole reactivated and they were floating once more.

“Thank you for not letting him take me,” Molly said as they headed back to the blue and green ball that was Earth.

“You’re my only friend Molly. I could never let him have you,” Lyle allowed her to snuggled against him as he wondered what would happen next.

Upon their return to the destroyed library, the two were quickly forced into a white van under gunpoint by men in black suits. From there they simply vanished. The Prime Minister would reveal he saw them the afternoon of the library incident on his death bed many years later. But nobody ever saw or heard from them again.

The End

---

Thanks for reading my friends.
There’s more in the Poetry Corner, Short Stories. and Short Stories 2 and Short Stories 3 tabs.

Have a great day!